


The trials and tribulations (cannot keep me from you)

by Silversouledcat



Series: What I know could fill a lake (what i've forgotten could fill oceans) [2]
Category: Leverage, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alec Hardison(mentioned), Character Study, Elliot Spencer(mentioned), Gen, Nathan Ford(mentioned), Parker(mentioned), mentioned Nathan Ford/Sophie Devereaux, really more of jaskier musing over the leverage team than anything else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29336109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silversouledcat/pseuds/Silversouledcat
Summary: Jaskier moves into his new apartment and thinks about the family his cousin has found.Or, a character study of most of the Leverage crew, through Jaskier's eyes.
Series: What I know could fill a lake (what i've forgotten could fill oceans) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154768
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	The trials and tribulations (cannot keep me from you)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in like 5 hours in a nonstop word vomit. All the thanks to june, who betad this for me so that its more than just 1300 words of me vomiting character inspection onto a word processor, bc i would. i want to pull apart characters and see what makes them tick. So this is just me using jaskier to do that.

Jaskier set down the last bag on the floor of his bedroom and turned to beam at his cousin. “Well, that’s the last of it. Nothing left to do but settle in, I suppose. Thanks again for helping with the decorating, Raven.”   
  
Sophie smiled back at him just as warmly. “Of course, Julian! It was no problem at all, it’s always nice to go shopping with someone else who really  _ appreciates _ it. Besides, you’ve always had excellent taste in colors.”

He laughed, before sobering a bit. “Really though, Sophie. I do appreciate it.”   
  
Both of them understood the unsaid  _ Thank you for letting me stay. _

She gently squeezed his arm before saying softly, “Of course, Julian. Anytime.” Sophie shook herself a bit, before saying with a semi-forced cheer, “Well! I’m certainly glad you like it. Unfortunately, I have to go now-have to get ready for a con, you know, lots of work.”   
  
“Of course, of course. Go make an evil rich man fall in love with you so you can steal his riches and expose his crimes to the world, dearest cousin.” He wiggled his fingers in a wave. “Have fun! Ta ta!””   
  
As he heard the front door click behind his cousin, Jasker let himself fall backwards onto the bed. He let out a deep groan and allowed himself to just lie there for a few minutes with his eyes closed before pulling himself to his feet. He did love his cousin, truly, but it was slightly draining now to pretend he was just Julian,  a restless but dedicated musician unable to settle down

_ Still _ , he thought as he padded to the kitchen to begin dinner,  _ it’s better than not knowing where to begin. _

The apartment was a good size, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a full size bathroom. Hardison had found it for him, explaining that the owner of the building had been a client of theirs once. She was happy to repay the favor by giving Jaskier a discounted rate on an apartment.

Hardison had been wary at first, but he had warmed up quickly and Jaskier found himself taking a liking to the young man. He was clever and witty, and it was clear to Jaskier that the hacker’s mind  _ itched _ with thoughts and ideas and the need to  _ know _ how things worked. It was almost like seeing a younger version of himself, albeit one more captivated by the spark and gleam of technology than the art of storytelling and song.

Jaskier pulled a pair of eggs and some sausages out of the fridge and started to boil a pot of water, continuing to turn his thoughts over in his head as he began to slice the sausages. Hardison may have warmed up to him quickly, but the rest of the team had been wary until Jaskier had proved himself.

Elliot, in particular, had been careful to keep him at arms length-until the first time they had let him help on a con, when Jaskier had talked himself and Hardison out of a confrontation with a rather paranoid businessman. Elliot had given him a short but not unfriendly nod before going to check on Hardison. 

After that, they had gotten along just fine.

Most people would think Elliot to be the one that reminded him the most of Geralt, Jaskier pondered as he dropped the eggs in the now-boiling water and began to dice the onions. There was no denying that there were similarities-both were gruff, battle-ready men who tried to conceal their inner marshmallows under a layer of grumpiness and had seen just how bad humanity could be. But at the same time, Elliot was far more likely to smile or laugh than Geralt had ever been, and he wasn’t as beaten down by the feeling of Otherness that the witcher had carried all his life. Not to mention the hitter could cook much better than Geralt had ever managed to.

A soft, sad smile tugged at his lips as Jaskier scraped the onions, garlic, and sausage into a frying pan. The sizzle as they hit the hot metal brought back memories of evenings spent cooking over campfires: rabbit added to a stewpot, Geralt watching him fuss and season the meat with a crinkle at the corner of his eyes.

No, Elliot wasn’t the one who reminded him the most of Geralt. The first time Parker had complained about the plot of a reality show that had been on, saying she didn’t understand why those people were acting so weird, Jaskier had thought  _ Ah, I see, another half-feral cat. I know what to do with you. _

Treating the thief almost like a witcher had worked out fairly well so far. The most important thing to keep in mind was the lack of knowledge that most “normal” people took for granted-things they had learned so young, they didn’t remember a time before knowing it. Parker, much like Geralt, had missed out on learning things about life most children discovered in school and from family.It also helped to treat her almost as if she had a witcher’s enhanced senses and sensitivity to noises and smells. From there, it was relatively easy to befriend the thief.

Jaskier hummed as he took the eggs out of the boiling water and replaced them with the contents of the pan. Carefully, he added some of the sour rye starter and let it simmer as he turned back to the eggs. In general, Sophie’s team had been welcoming, and Jaskier liked the family she had found for herself.

Nate, however…Jaskier was well aware of who the man was. It was clear how much his cousin loved Nathan Ford, and equally clear that it was returned in full force. Sophie had been writing him letters about the dashing insurance investigator for years, and he remembered when she had found out that Nate’s son had died. She had said, and Jaskier agreed, that something in the man had broken irreparably that day. He had pulled himself back together from the shattered ruins of his former self, built himself a new purpose to live for, but some fundamental piece of the mastermind was broken and would never be fixed. 

Oh, there was absolutely no doubt in Jaskier’s mind that Nate would keep his team safe at the end of the day-the man was utterly loyal to those he cared about. But anyone else, any person not one of His, was fair game. Nate had the ability to take a step back, to remove himself from the situation and see it in cold, clear cut chess pieces that he could manipulate as soon as he found what made them tick.

Nate didn’t remind Jaskier of Geralt. No, Nate reminded him of  _ Yennefer _ . And Jaskier knew that as hard as it was to convince Yennefer to care about someone, once you had done it, she would raze cities to rubble before she allowed them to be hurt. So, as much as he respected and even liked Nate, he remained a little bit wary of the man. Jaskier was a bard, not a fool.

He blinked and shook his head, focusing back in on the present as he poured the soup into a bowl and added the hard boiled eggs. Flopping down on the couch, he turned his mind to what he wanted to do with his new apartment. Three bedrooms was a little much for him all by himself, but Jaskier hadn’t been able to ignore the aching hope in his chest that maybe he would have a reason to use them someday. In the meantime, he could use one of the bedrooms as a combination study and workspace for his music, so that he would have somewhere to play without disturbing any other tenants. As for the third bedroom...

The third bedroom he would leave as a guest room for now, Jaskier reasoned as he finished his  żurek . After all, you never knew when an extra bed could come in handy. Decided, he stood up and went to put his bowl in the sink, humming a section of the newest song he was working on as he moved around. Something about a fox who lost his kit, and in his grief and vengeance, fashioned himself a new pack….yes, that would do nicely, Jaskier thought.

After all, stories like this should be remembered.

**Author's Note:**

> jaskier is eating something called zurek, which is apparently a traditional polish soup made with sour rye starter. looked like something he would be able to make lmao.


End file.
